Today's Football

[SilentDave]

The stats seem to indicate they were a bit lucky today.

Yep. xG 2.29-1.45

[Kai]

xG is a great stat but has some flaws, one of them is getting a bit skewed when top level players are involved since they often don't need much of a chance to convert it. And yet the algorithms that they use counts every chance the same no matter whether it's Welbeck or Ronaldo taking the shot, but I'm sure that will be taken into account as xG further develops as a stat. For example Kane was consistently overperforming his own personal xG in previous years, meaning that he is much more clinical in his finishing compared to more average players, Salah in his first season as well heavily overperformed according to his XG.

[SilentDave]

xG is a great stat but has some flaws, one of them is getting a bit skewed when top level players are involved since they often don't need much of a chance to convert it. And yet the algorithms that they use counts every chance the same no matter whether it's Welbeck or Ronaldo taking the shot, but I'm sure that will be taken into account as xG further develops as a stat. For example Kane was consistently overperforming his own personal xG in previous years, meaning that he is much more clinical in his finishing compared to more average players, Salah in his first season as well heavily overperformed according to his XG.

Agreed, it is always dangerous to just take one stat in isolation but at the very least xG shows you who had the better chances and better weight of chances.
I think it shows that Liverpoool rode their luck a little and had better quality strikers who can convert when they get a sniff of goal.

The difference between the top teams and the also rans is often the quality of the strikers.

[Kafkaesque]

On the subject of next manager to go, while I don't really think, he'll be the next to go, I also cannot see Solskjaer lasting the season.

They've got two huge issues for me. Squad depth and structure/managerial presence.

The first 11 looks like top 4 for sure, but they look very, very light when you go just a bit beyond those 11. It's a disaster waiting to happen.

Which top, top level team ****ing stands around and decides on the spot who takes the penalty? Rashford seems a lovely man, but if Fergie was waiting in the dressing room at full time, he wouldn't have given the pen to Pogba (and shaken his hand no less), and Pogba wouldn't have asked. Well, Pogba might, but almost all players wouldn't and shouldn't have. Which goes to another point. Some of their decision-making in transition is atrocious and seems pretty much a case of we make it up as we go along. With Pogba the most guilty. I cannot imagine Pogba playing in these circumstances, if the man on the bench was Klopp, Pep, Poch, or most other top managers for that matter. The same goes for their set pieces where they make let's-try-this-out-decisions time and time, that would never, ever happen, if they had a manager, they fully respected. It just keeps happening, so either it's not being adressed, or OGS has lost the handle.

All this just go out and play stuff is great when everything's flowing, everyone's on song, and results going your way, as we saw during that initial run under OGS. But with the characters they have in the squad, this is imho going to turn toxic soon enough.

Maybe I should even have put this in the rant thread Thank god I'm not a United fan. I would truly be disgusted then

[Archangel]

So Man Uniteds penalty process is to have an argument on the pitch to decide who takes it.

Looks like Ole has a few problems on his hands

[Archangel]

Van Aanholt becomes the first player ever to score a 90th minute winner vs Man Utd. at Old Trafford. Quite an amazing stat

[Dallas]

Van Aanholt becomes the first player ever to score a 90th minute winner vs Man Utd. at Old Trafford. Quite an amazing stat

Karma took it's time there then

[Kafkaesque]

Van Aanholt becomes the first player ever to score a 90th minute winner vs Man Utd. at Old Trafford. Quite an amazing stat

Is there another one of those times, where some in the media believe football started with the PL? Or is it really EVER?

If the latter, quite astounding. If not, I wouldn't call it amazing or even surprising at all, to be honest.

[Archangel]

Is there another one of those times, where some in the media believe football started with the PL? Or is it really EVER?

If the latter, quite astounding. If not, I wouldn't call it amazing or even surprising at all, to be honest.

The Premier League has been going since 1992 so I think either way it's an amazing stat.

[greenmark]

That's a pen on Kane. Unbelievable decision by VAR. I'd love to hear their reasoning for that.

[Kafkaesque]

That's a pen on Kane. Unbelievable decision by VAR. I'd love to hear their reasoning for that.

Did seem absolutely nailed on. The only reasoning I can think of would be that Lascelles fell over accidently and by extension that the contact with Kane with accidental. But even that is a huuuuuuge stretch, especially given the VAR policy on accidental handballs being pens.

If this is the rule, we might see a few more defenders falling into strikers accidentily on purpose

[greenmark]

That's a pen on Kane. Unbelievable decision by VAR. I'd love to hear their reasoning for that.

Did seem absolutely nailed on. The only reasoning I can think of would be that Lascelles fell over accidently and by extension that the contact with Kane with accidental. But even that is a huuuuuuge stretch, especially given the VAR policy on accidental handballs being pens.

If this is the rule, we might see a few more defenders falling into strikers accidentily on purpose

Does accidental contact negate the foul? But anyway I thought it was a nailled on pen. How VAR could review and not give it is a mystery to me.
This is what worries me about VAR, they are God. Unaccountable. Poorly regulated. Bad recipe.

[greenmark]

Presumably Gigg Lane is worth far more as redevelopment land.
But for the several thousand supporters, that doesn't help.

[Euler]

Sad day when two clubs go to the wall. Look at the billions that flow into the sport now and how little is available in the lower leagues. Getting relegated to League 2 is almost a death sentence if you don't have deep pockets.

[Thebest147]

You could have stepped in Peter to fill the void